Phil 4:3: "the Book of Life" and its Old Testament background (Exod 32; Ps 69; Dan 12)
Says Phil 4:3 places the fellow workers' names ἐν βίβλῳ ζωῆς (en biblō zōēs, "in the Book of Life," BSB), with no quotation formula; no passage below has this wording.
Says Exod 32:32: מְחֵנִי נָא מִסִּפְרְךָ אֲשֶׁר כָּתָבְתָּ ("blot me out of the book that You have written," BSB). In 32:33 the object is singular: אֶמְחֶנּוּ מִסִּפְרִי ("I will blot out of My book," BSB). Swete has ἐξάλειψόν με ἐκ τῆς βίβλου σου ἧς ἔγραψας and ἐξαλείψω αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῆς βίβλου μου, plural; A and F read αὐτόν.
Says Ps 69:28 (MT 69:29; Swete 68:29): יִמָּחוּ מִסֵּפֶר חַיִּים ("May they be blotted out of the Book of Life," BSB), with two Niphal third-plural verbs. Swete has ἐξαλειφθήτωσαν ἐκ βίβλου ζώντων, "of the living."
Uncertain OSHB parses חַיִּים here as the adjective "living," like Swete's ζώντων; BDB also lists the noun חַיִּים, "life" (p. 313), which Paul's ζωῆς matches. No lean is taken here.
Says Dan 12:1: כָּל־הַנִּמְצָא כָּתוּב בַּסֵּפֶר ("everyone whose name is found written in the book," BSB) will be delivered (יִמָּלֵט, Niphal third singular; subject "your people"). Swete's Theodotion has σωθήσεται ὁ λαός σου πᾶς ὁ γεγραμμένος ἐν τῇ βίβλῳ; A and Q add ὁ εὑρεθείς.
Implies These present God's book of those who belong to him: blotting out (מָחָה, BDB p. 562) removes a name, and being written is tied to deliverance.
Uncertain Phil 4:3 alludes to this background without quoting it; form comparison cannot show which passage Paul had in mind. No lean is taken here.
Claims
- SaysPhil 4:3 places the fellow workers' names ἐν βίβλῳ ζωῆς, with no quotation formula; no passage among Exod 32:32–33, Ps 69:28 and Dan 12:1 has this wording.
- SaysExod 32:32 מְחֵנִי נָא מִסִּפְרְךָ אֲשֶׁר כָּתָבְתָּ; in 32:33 the object is singular (אֶמְחֶנּוּ מִסִּפְרִי). Swete has ἐξάλειψόν με ἐκ τῆς βίβλου σου ἧς ἔγραψας and ἐξαλείψω αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῆς βίβλου μου, plural; A and F read αὐτόν.
- SaysPs 69:28 (MT 69:29; Swete 68:29) יִמָּחוּ מִסֵּפֶר חַיִּים, with two Niphal third-plural verbs; Swete ἐξαλειφθήτωσαν ἐκ βίβλου ζώντων.
- UncertainOSHB parses חַיִּים in Ps 69:29 as the adjective "living," like Swete ζώντων; BDB also lists the noun חַיִּים "life," which Paul's ζωῆς matches. No lean.
- SaysDan 12:1 כָּל הַנִּמְצָא כָּתוּב בַּסֵּפֶר will be delivered (יִמָּלֵט, Niphal third singular, subject "your people"); Swete Theodotion σωθήσεται ὁ λαός σου πᾶς ὁ γεγραμμένος ἐν τῇ βίβλῳ; A and Q add ὁ εὑρεθείς.
- ImpliesThese present God's book of those who belong to him: blotting out removes a name, and being written is tied to deliverance.
- UncertainPhil 4:3 alludes to this background without quoting it; form comparison cannot show which passage Paul had in mind. No lean.
Citations
- OSHB CC BY 4.0 Exod 32:32–33 (מְחֵנִי morph HVqv2ms/Sp1cs; אֶמְחֶנּוּ morph HVqi1cs/Sp3ms); Ps 69:29 MT (יִמָּחוּ morph HVNi3mp; חַיִּים morph HAampa; יִכָּתֵבוּ morph HVNj3mp); Dan 12:1 (יִמָּלֵט morph HVNi3ms; הַנִּמְצָא morph HTd/VNrmsa)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 מָחָה (H4229), p. 562, entry m.bl.aa; סֵפֶר (H5612), p. 706, entry o.ck.aa; חַי (H2416), p. 311, entry h.cd.ab; חַיִּים (H2416), p. 313, entry h.cd.ag
- LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0 Exod 32:32–33 (vol. 1 p. 171; apparatus: "32 ... με] καμε A", "33 ... αυτους] αυτον AF"); LXX read on the Swete page image, vol. 1 (1909), p. 171. Ps 68:29 (vol. 2 p. 301; apparatus: no entry at 29 itself, but "26—32 om γενηθητω...οπλας R* (hab R^a mg)"); LXX read on the Swete page image, vol. 2 (1896), p. 301. Dan 12:1 Theodotion (vol. 3 p. 573; apparatus: "πας] + ο ευρεθεις AQ"); LXX read on the Swete page image, vol. 3 (1912), p. 573.
- SBLGNT CC BY 4.0 Phil 4:3
- BSB public domain Phil 4:3; Exod 32:32–33; Ps 69:28; Dan 12:1
Quotations from LXX (Swete) are used under CC BY-SA 4.0 · Credits
2026-11-09
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